Youth took centre stage on opening day at the UN Alliance of Civilizations 10th Global Forum on Monday, with young directors recognised for their films at an international festival and a forum showcasing the next generation of movers and doers, from empowering women in violence-ravaged northwestern Nigeria to deradicalising youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kicking off day one was the Youth Forum, where more than 150 youth delegations gathered at the 16th century military Forte de São Julião da Barra, spreading messages of peace, unity and multicultural understanding.
"As young people, you have to revolt and to spread your dreams," said Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, at the opening session. "You're now told that your future is gloomy, but you are a new generation. You are the bridge generation that wants to create a better world."
As conflicts rage on in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond, Mr. Moratinos said that during these turbulent times of war and uncertainty, the challenges are great. His triple message to young people was to maintain their drive towards peace, saving the planet and addressing technological challenges, like the spread of mis- and disinformation online and artificial intelligence (AI).
Navigating between the virtual and reality
"You are the generation to navigate between the virtual and reality," the High Representative said, encouraging them to take the lead.
Many of them already are. Throughout the day, young people exchanged stories about how they are fostering peace in their communities and building ever more bridges across generations.
For Lynda Nkechi Emmanuel, who works in northwestern Nigeria, violence and kidnapping are realities.
"I work in a conflict zone," she said. "In this situation, you find out that the major causes of conflict is misinformation, the communication gap, disinformation, miscommunication and the fake news online."
She said she loves working with local communities to help them tackle disinformation and find the truth. For her, coming to the UN Alliance's gathering is a "fantastic opportunity" and a great platform given free to youth globally.
"It's an avenue for their voice to be heard not just in their localities and not just in their communities," she said.
'You have to listen differently'
Echoing that message, Shreya Jani, a peace education consultant from India and a veteran of UNAOC programmes, said she first attended an Alliance workshop in 2006. While she laughingly added that she is "old" now, she continues to build peace, from Kabul to Manipur.
"You have to listen differently," she said of her work in Jammu and Kashmir from 2012 to 2019, adding that so much diversity "gets crushed" because of the "us versus them" situation imposed on people.
"You have to suspend your view of what nationalism is," she explained. "There is a government and a nation. You have to let the humanity come through."
To do that, she launched a month-long photography workshop for young people so they could literally see through a different lens to understand various perspectives. For her, the Youth Forum is a place to meet others and share experiences.
"I think celebration is such a core part of the work for humanitarian aid that people do, and the world needs to celebrate and amplify those voices much more," she said.
"I was feeling a bit jaded and in despair about the world and where it's heading, so when I got this invitation, I jumped on it because I would get to hear about so many young people and their beautiful endeavours, and it would give me a little bit of energy to do my own work."
International film festival
Once the Youth Forum wrapped up, delegates moved to the Estoril Conference Centre for the evening at the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival. Second graders to young adults were among the directors of 32 films recognised at the festival, sponsored by the Alliance and the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Telling stories from around the world on the themes of migration, diversity and inclusion, these young filmmakers tackled topics from battling discrimination a to celebrating religious diversity.
One came from Dativa Mahanyu from the United Republic of Tanzania. She was recognised for her animated film, Fidi, which tells the story of a 16-year-old autistic boy who becomes a hero in the face of discrimination. Watch the full film here.
"The Youth Forum has opened my mind," she said. "I have met so many people. It's a wake up call for us to do more of what we do."
Check out the whole PLURAL+ 2024 playlist here.
Watch the ceremony on UN Web TV here.
From Weirdies to Old Times, meet some young PLURAL+ directors
Young directors of 32 films recognised at the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival 2024 attended a ceremony on the sidelines of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum.
They saw their stories on the big screen from communities around the world on the themes of migration, diversity and inclusion.
Different Gods
That included the teenaged producers of Deuses Distintos (Different Gods), which the festival bestowed a special recognition for combating xenophobia and discrimination.
The students along with their teacher from the Escola Municipal Santa Terezinha underlined the importance of embracing the rich religious diversity of Brazil.
"Religious racism is a big problem in Brazil, especially towards the African heritage religions, like Candomblé," said 14-year-old Bárbara dos Santos. "This film looks at that issue."
Include Me
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Recognised in the 18- to 25-year-old category, Include Me was co-produced by Phelister Amondi Awuor and Walter Mwori Athobwa from Kenya.
Ms. Awuor said called the film "a short poetry piece about women in my society, the everyday woman who is trying to make ends meet".
"But despite her efforts, it's still sad that we continue to deny her needs like education, choice to make decisions about her self, like access to finances and things like owning pieces of land," she told UN News.
"I am a woman, and this could easily be me," she said. "I was privileged to at least finish my high school education, and that has empowered me to make some critical decisions about my life and the way I want to live it. Some women don't have that choice."
She said that "the fact that we are not talking about it enough, or how we talk and they keep ignoring our voices, or shutting us down, is the reason more women still don't have choices or voices when it comes to some matters."
Watch the full video here:
Check out some of the other young directors and their videos here:
- Weirdies by second grade students at the CEIP Maestro Camilo Hernández school in Spain (under age 12). Watch here.
- Just Talk by Junhyuk "Roy" Ahn of the United States (13- to 17-year-olds). Watch here.
- Old Times by Chaela Fuentes Tordillo and Kervin Quieta of the Philippines (special recognition for inclusive action on climate change and its impact on migration). Watch here.
